I wish all of you love and peace…
No need to look at other people’s do or don’t do, good or not good…
Just take good care of our own hearts and be happy…
This is the one thing that will benefit other people and ourselves…
8 Feb
About Simplicity
Simplicity comes along with contentment, humility, gratitude and appreciation. When we are endowed with such qualities in our hearts, life is definitely happier even though it might not be easier. Life can be not easy but our hearts can be happy.
For people who find that any philosophies of yoga and Buddhism is too complicated and difficult to understand or to practice in life, know that we just need to be simple. We simplify everything that seems to be complicated, and from simplification of things will eventually lead to zero problem in everything. We don’t see any problems in things anymore.
For example, many people couldn’t grasp what is the attributeless Self, namelessness and formlessness, non-self and who we really are. If we can’t understand these few things, we can’t really know how to not attach to things, impermanence, our lives, our bodies and the mind. It is also very difficult for us to accept everything as it is without any judgments, comparisons, criticism and expectations. We also don’t know how to not having likes and dislikes towards everything that we come in contact with our senses. Because we will be attached strongly towards this physical body, its functions and life experiences, and identify ourselves with it and thinking that this is who we are and whatever related to this physical body and its life is what we are. We attached strongly to “our” mind, “our” senses, “our” thoughts and “our” feelings. We will also attach strongly to “our” wealth, properties, health, ability, appearance, self-image, individual identification, pride and arrogance, knowledge, experiences, social status, achievements, culture, relationships and what we like and dislike.
We will also attach to all the “ideas” that are being planted deep into our minds from “somebody” and “somewhere” and “who knows where it really comes from”, that telling us lives should be like this or like that, and we should be behaving in such and such way. And if we don’t comply to those ideas, we will be defined by the people who live in these ideas as weird, crazy, sinful and bad.
It is very difficult for us to understand the terms “we are not this body” and “we are not this mind”, and to let go all these attachments that we already have since we were small and still continue to create and accumulate more and more new attachments into our lives, and it’s very difficult for us to stop believe that this is what we are and life should be this way.
To simplify this philosophy of finding out who we really are, we just need to know what we really are not. We might be temporary being this and that, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes positive, sometimes negative, sometimes healthy, sometimes sick, from a baby to a young man to an old man to a dead body. But what is beyond this momentory appearances or transitory conditions of the body and the mind, is something that is unchangeable and eternal.
So, if anyone wants to know who we really are and still couldn’t find a true identity of ourselves, and start to give up searching or else we will become mad and lost our mind, then try to look at the other option – not searching for who we are but searching for who we are not. Very soon our minds will be wide opened and we can understand many things that we couldn’t understand in the past.
Apply this “the other option” philosophy in other things that we couldn’t solve their problems. We might find out the right answer to our long time stubborn problems that have been bothering us in our hearts and in our lives.
The more simple we are, the less problems we will have or the problems will solve themselves once we let go of them. When there is no problems, where is doubt, fears and worries?
May all beings be happy.
5 Feb
About Acceptance
Some people are confused about acceptance and letting go means giving up and not striving our best effort in anything. This is a huge confusion. It is normal for the arising of confusion towards many words and terms for their original or true meanings. Because many people have different interpretation of words and terms. And also different levels of understanding and different mentality will bring different translations for many things in life.
People who are negative will interprete almost everything negatively. While positive mind people will interprete the same things positively. Everything has both negative side and positive side. It depends on us which side that we want to see it and take it. Either it will make us feel better or worst.
But yoga and Buddhism teach us to let go both negative and positive qualities, see beyond all the names and forms, and accept everything as it is. Not having any judgments, comparisons, criticism and expectations. Not trying to interfere with the law of karma and impermanence. Accept the Truth as it is provided if we know the Truth of things. We can’t say anything to those who can’t see the Truth of things and ask them to accept things as it is. This will cause them more confusion, irritation and frustration.
The acceptance that we want to practice here is about give our best effort in any pursues but do not attach to the result. It also means renounce the fruit of our actions.
When we sincerely and honestly want to do something, we do our best without any expectations. It is like when we build the road for the convenience of other people to use the road, we don’t mind if people are grateful or not, showing appreciation or not, and it is not our responsibility if the road is damaged or some accidents happen due to the cause of nature or man’s fault.
We accept ourselves as we are, accept the forever changing condition of the physical body and the mind. Know that any feelings whether they are good or bad, they are very momentary, transitory and will disappear sooner or later. If we attached to any of these feelings that keep arising and passing away in our mind, we will be mad – sometimes getting very excited and sometimes getting very depressed. And from one mood can change to another mood very regularly – mood swing. But know that this is something very normal and common that is happening to almost everyone except those who know how to not attach to all these feelings and do not react to them. For this is a normal habit of all the minds of everyone, we need to accept this phenomena as it is, and not generating more negativity. But if we have the awareness of what is going on in the mind, we practice non-attachment and self-control to avoid doing something stupid that will hurt other people and ourselves. For those who have no awareness of what is going on in the mind and identify with the mind, and react towards the condition of the mind, then there is nothing we can do about it but to accept them as they are. Be compassionate towards all beings especially the beings that are suffering due to unaware of their own mind and forgive their reactions that are hurtful and selfish.
We need to accept the imperfection in us and in everyone as living beings being limited and conditioned by the impermanence and law of karma. We stop judging ourselves and others. We stop comparing ourselves with others or with our own self in the past. We stop having expectation towards others and our own self. Because we know that the condition of the body and the mind is forever changing not the same anymore. We can’t even judge ourselves and compare ourselves now with the past experience, how can we judge others and compare with other people?
We accept other people as they are and accept everyone for being imperfect as well under the circumstances of life existence.
We can’t please everybody in this world of many individuals with different types of understanding and mentality.
If we can’t let go the past and can’t accept what had already happened, and keep holding on to the past experiences and feelings, we are creating suffering for ourselves. It is not the unhappy happenings or the people that involved in the happenings that make us suffer. It is our own self had attached to all the happenings and couldn’t let go, and couldn’t accept the truth about something that had already happened and we can’t go back to the past to undo what had happened, nor can we preserve something that was very happy and beautiful, that is making us suffer now and will continue to suffer.
Acceptance is not separated from letting go. Letting go is acceptance. Acceptance and letting go is something that happens at the present moment now. We are letting go all the good and bad thoughts, feelings and sensations at this present moment now, from moment to moment. We do not attach to the past memories that come up to the surface. It is very good that these old supressed feelings come up to the surface. If we can stay detached and let them go, it is a very good purification process. It clears up a lot of “rubbish” and “burden” in our heart. We will become lighter and lighter.
Maybe yesterday I felt sad when I thought about something in the past, but that was already the past also. Now, at this present moment, all the thoughts and feelings (whether they are arising from the past memories or from what is happening now), we just be aware, watch them arising and passing away without paying any attention to them, not giving any values or meanings to them, not generating any reactions towards them and let them go.
If we can let go whatever that is happening from moment to moment and accept everything as it is, not resisting or fighting against the law of karma and impermanence, surrender ourselves for the nature to take care of everything, we will not have any fears and worries anymore. We will not have irritation, frustration, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, arrogance, disappointment and unhappiness.
To accept that at this present moment now, this is what my body can do and cannot do. Accept that this is the ability of my physical body, and this is the condition of my body and the mind at this present moment now, without any judgments or expectations, and not to compare with others or with our own past experience. Be very comfortable with our own self, the body and the mind. If we cannot be comfortable with our own self and are very unhappy with the body and the mind, we are creating suffering for ourselves.
To accept that all my past experiences and happenings in life (whether happy or unhappy, right or wrong, good or bad) had already gone, it is the past already.
To accept that I have done my very best in all my pursues but whatever the results are, is not in my control. I can aim my bow and arrow towards the target, and shoot the arrow with full attention and effort, but whatever happens after that, either the arrow hits the target or a bird just happen to fly by and being hit by the arrow, it is not my responsibility anymore. Or maybe the strong wind blew the arrow to the side and missed the target, or the target fell onto the ground before the arrow hits it. We can feel sorry and compassionate towards that poor bird, but we cannot blame ourselves for that accident. It is nobody’s fault. Not the shooter, not the arrow, not the wind and not the bird. It is not our intention at all and it just happens due to a karmic reason why it happens during that time and at that place.
To accept that we all are imperfect and we cannot please everyone at the same time.
To accept that we all have to go through impermanence – birth, growth, decay, old age, illness, pain and death towards this physical body. But our true nature is not affected by impermanence and is forever exist without any qualities of name and form, and is beyond birth and death.
To accept that all minds are changing all the time, we cannot have judgment or expectation towards our own self or towards other people. Because our body and the mind will not be the same anymore from time to time.
To accept that whatever in the past had already gone and the future doesn’t really exist at all in this present moment now. We cannot hold on to the past or the future. We can only be at the present moment now, from moment to moment. Or else we will be creating lots of tensions, unhappiness, disharmony, disappoinment, frustration, fears and worries in ourselves.
To accept that there is no body in this world of life existence including all the saints and sages can avoid impermanence. We have no choice but to let go when impermanence strikes, and be grateful and happy while we are still here able to enjoy and experience so many things and to learn what is selflessness and non-attachment with this conditioned body, the mind and the senses.
To accept the truth as it is, accept everything as it is, accept everyone as they are, accept ourselves as we are. We can do our best for the benefits of everyone and the world, but we need to accept the law of karma and impermanence which is governing all the happenings in the world and in other people’s lives. We can only control and change our own karma but we cannot interfere or change other people’s karma.
Since we only have a presumable limited life span, very limited youth and strong body, why not we make good use of this life, its youth and good health to do meaningful things that will benefit all, let go all the unhappiness and discrimination, and be happy? Why do we waste our time and effort in meaningless arguments, conflicts, complaints, gossips, slanderings, harmful activities, wars, killings, hatred, depression and unhappiness? Many people who are very frustrated, angry and negative will not care about others because they are already very unhappy in life. We should be compassionate towards them and not being angry and frustrated about it. But we all can put aside our own problems and unhappiness, and dedicate our time and effort to benefit others. And this will really remove all our unhappiness and negativity. By being unhappy and negative all the time cannot remove the unhappiness and negativity in us but will increase them day by day. And by giving and sharing with others (loving kindness and compassion) without attachment to the fruit of actions, will remove all the sadness, selfishness and negativity in us.
May all beings be happy.
2 Feb
My Life – “Dedicated” To Yoga And Dharma
Om Namah Sivayah.
What is the most precious thing that we all are having with us all the time eternally that has never been separated from us and never will?
Not my decaying body, not my unrest mind, not my breathing, not my heartbeat, not my knowledge, not my memories, not my family, not my parents, not my children, not my spouse, not my friends, not my teachers, not my senses, not my ego, not my feelings, not my thoughts, not my house, not my job, not my success, not my achievement, not my duty, not my responsibility, not my wealth, not my health, not my beauty, not my youth, not my learning, not my happiness, not my unhappiness, not my birth, not my death, not my things, not anything that will change and disappear. Not the life, not the world, not the sun, not the air, not the water, not the earth, not the space, not the universe, not the heaven, not the hell. All these things will change and disappear also. Anything that will change and impermanent, is just temporary and momentary existing.
It’s my Self, the pure Self, not my selfish egoistic “self”. The only thing that is unchanging, unconditioned by impermanence, forever exist, pure existence, pure awareness, pure knowledge and pure bliss, is the Self – Satchidananda.
Even if we come to a stage that we are so tired with impermanence and all the unhappiness and suffering in life and had lost all the faith on all the things so called “family”, “friendships”, “education”, “community”, “relationships”, “religion”, “belief”, “faith”, “ancient teachings”, “culture”, “myths”, “fairy tales”, “science”, “black magic”, “dharma”, “meditation”, “enlightenment”, “the Truth”, or “God”, and stop searching for anything, feeling so meaningless and exhausted, don’t want to believe in anything at all, and don’t care about what is going to happen to ourselves and the entire world anymore, we will always know that this Self has never abandon us, never condemn us, never judge us, never give up on us and never expecting anything from us.
It is forever here with us, being absolutely faithful and loyal to us, comforting us, guiding us and supporting us. It is our one and only greatest teacher and companion, because all the other teachers and everything else (both living beings and non-living beings) that we perceive in this life existence is also a manifestation from the Self. There is no separation between the Self and “I”, and everything else (living beings and non-living beings).
I am that I am. I am not this, I am not that. No name, no form, no shape, no colour, no sound, no smell, no taste, no feel, no thought, no good, no bad, no past, no future, no cause, no effect, no likes, no dislikes, no craving, no aversion, no attachment, no detachment, no purity, no impurity, no birth, no death, no beginning, no ending, no ignorance, no wisdom, no fears, no worries, no realization, no enlightenment, no happiness, no unhappiness, no suffering, no end of suffering. Emptiness is form. Form is emptiness. The Self is everything. Everything is the Self.
Free, unlimited, unconditioned, eternal, content, peaceful silence.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
When we stop identify with anything that is impermanent, and stop looking at other people’s good and bad, what other people do and don’t do, how other people act and react, and stop all the judging, comparing, competing, criticizing and expecting towards other people and our own self, we will be at peace immediately. No more fears, worries, irritation, frustration, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, arrogance, low self-esteem, agression, depression, disappointment and unhappiness. No more looking for something to fill up the “emptiness” in us – the meaning of life existence, because we are full, whole and content.
Because at the end, nothing really matters. The world will still be what it is going to be. Everything will still be what it is going to be. Everyone will still be what they are going to be, either happy or unhappy, content or discontent, attaching or letting go. If we want to change “the world”, we just need to change “ourselves”. It is our own perception of the mind that is moulding the world that we are having now. If my mind is not there, the world doesn’t exist for me at all. There is no world when there is no mind. The world is a projection of the mind. It is because of my own mind and the senses, that I feel pain, pleasure, comfort, discomfort, happy and unhappy. If we don’t know this, we will be in unhappiness and suffering, full of irritation, frustration, anger, hatred and disappointment. We can’t control anything out there but we can control our own self.
The only existence is the present moment now from moment to moment where the awareness is. The past and the future doesn’t exist at this present moment now. We can only explain that now is the future for the past, and now is the past for the future. But the only existence is the present moment, from moment to moment.
By knowing this, I am sharing this understanding with others through giving yoga classes and giving dharma talk without the limitation of time and place. Anywhere and anytime I am not separated from yoga and dharma. Even when it seems like I am not doing anything, I am still having yoga and dharma in my heart all the time and through my thoughts, I continue to share yoga and dharma with all. Life is not separated from yoga and dharma. The entire life existence is yoga and dharma. It is not something that I do or believe or practice, it is what I live, the existence of “I”, the knower of the awareness of everything.
I am learning unceasingly while I am teaching. I gain or lose nothing while I am sharing. There is no gain and no loss. The path is no more just a path for me to walk on, but it is already one with me and not separated from me. I am no more doing the practices but I am the practice itself.
When I “dedicated” myself to yoga and dharma, I am dedicated to the Self, dedicated to all and everything, because all and everything is not separated from yoga and dharma. Yoga and dharma is not separated from the Self. When I am no more separated from the Self, there is no more “dedication”.
May all beings be happy.
31 Jan
About Depression
Most people will suffer a stage of depression at least once in their life time. It is a common mental illness that is affecting many people. It is not too serious unless it is affecting our daily lives and our relationship with other people, and starting to hurt ourselves or other people in action or in speech. It is affecting our work, diet, learning capacity, sleeping pattern, mood, hormones, socialization, relationships, physical and mental fitness, self-esteem and sense of self-worth.
It is a form of deep sadness and meaninglessness. Some depressed people will tend towards self-destructive or suicidal behavior, while some people will tend to become very offensive and aggressive towards other people. Most depressed people are suffering extreme low self-esteem.
Most people are depressed due to previously had been experiencing many heart breaking and unhappy happenings in life and are attached strongly to what had happened and couldn’t let go the past. We are continuing being affected, influenced and disturbed by the past unhappy memories or experiences. Some unhappy incidents that happened when we were little, and it still haunts us in our hearts and in the mind. We tried to forget or runaway from these unhappy memories, but we couldn’t. And most of the time in all the happenings now, we will relate them with our past experience and will have pre-judging or pre-assumming mental attitude towards what is going to happen and how it is going to be. It’s like we will be afraid of being cheated or getting hurt again once we had been cheated or hurt by someone before even if it happened at a long time ago. We can’t really wipe away or forget all the memories just like that, especially those sad memories that had a huge imprint in our mind. What we can do is, when any of the sad and depressed memories come up to the surface, we need to confront with them and let them go, and not trying to runaway and supress them back into our hearts. Until one day, all these memories will have no effect on us anymore. They can’t make us feel sad or depressed anymore.
Some people are depressed due to great disappointment and sadness towards other people’s actions and reactions in love relationships or friendships, or being depressed about the bad and negative happenings in the world.
Some people are depressed mainly because of the imbalanced hormones changes in the physical body which is not in our control at all. While some people are depressed due to injuries to the nervous system or suffered brain damages. People who are paralyzed on the right side of the body due to damages in the left side of the brains, will tend to become depressed easily. And people who are always active in the right brain and less active on the left brain (breathing through the left nostril most of the time) will also tend to become depressed easily. That’s why the alternate nostril breathing exercise (Anuloma Viloma) in yoga practices can help to balance up the energy fields in the body to balance up the activeness in both side of the brains, so that we will not be too agitated or depressed.
Be with the nature. Sit down and look at the ocean, the broad horizon, the blue sky, the mountains, the forests, the rivers, the waterfalls, the animals, and feel ourselves are not separated from nature. Open up our hearts, breathe in the fresh energy from nature, be loving, be compassionate, be generous, be happy.
One thing to be remembered if we are in the path of yoga or in the path of Buddhism, is that we are learning not to attach to the body and the mind, and whatever that happens in our lives and in the world. We learn to let go the past instantly and not attached to the past experiences and happenings. We learn not to be affected, influenced or disturbed by what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think. We should not attached, nor identify with, nor associate with, nor react towards all the thoughts, feelings and sensations (both positive and negative) that we perceive in the mind through the senses, not generating any likes or dislikes, craving or aversion, remain equanomous and calm all the time. And thus neither elevation nor depression has got the opportunity to come into the mind.
If we are already suffering depression, and don’t know how to come out or detach ourselves from it, we need somebody who is wise, positive and cheerful to be there to uplift us, to support us, to help us. Reduce negative and depressive inputs like stay away from negative and depressive people, books, movies or music; mix more with high energy, happy and cheerful people, read books that are uplifting, watch positive types of movies and listen to cheerful music.
If we can manage without taking any drugs will be the best solution. And the most natural way and effective way is by letting go all the negative and unhappy thoughts and feelings, and not supressing them back into our body and the mind. Learn how to not attach to everything is the key to peacefulness. If we can detached from all the names and forms of everything that is being labeled as good or bad, happy or unhappy, positive or negative, success or failure, and not to give any values or meanings to them, then naturally we will not be affected by depression anymore.
It is like if we feel depressed when our body had put on some extra fats or when other people didn’t show appreciation about our offerings, this is because we are having the conception that being fat is not good, and when people reject to receive our gift or not saying thank you to us means that we are not good enough, people don’t like us and we don’t deserve love and appreciation.
People who suffer depression usually are very sensitive and low self-esteem. It is not a sin or a bad thing when a person suffers depression. It is not what we want, to be depressed and unhappy about life, about ourselves, about the world and everything. It just happens in us when we are attached to the sad and bad feelings that arise in our hearts.
We shouldn’t judge ourselves as a bad person, nor is anything less than other people.
Some back bendings and chest opening poses in yoga asana can help to release the negative energy and emotion in us to let them out of our system, and to develop cheerfulness, courage, confidence, positive thinking and letting go. Most important is we ourselves have to help ourselves to come out from depression, have the willpower to change our thinking habits, and be happy. We need to find out what is the real meaning of life and divert our attention away from the things that are making us depressed.
Sometimes when we see other people who are more suffering and unhappy than us, it might make us feel better about ourselves and appreciate the goodness that we are having now, like we can see, can hear, can smell, can taste, can feel and can think, and be grateful and be happy. And thus by doing selfless service can help us to remove unhappiness and dissatisfaction in us. But for people who suffer depression, seeing many other people who are in suffering and unhappy in the world might trigger deeper negativity and depression in them. But by helping other people definitely will help us to feel more meaningful in life, and feel good about ourselves that we can contribute to the society and bring happiness to other people. And thus this will make ourselves feel better and happy too. And so, doing selfless service to serve the weak, the sick and the poor can help us to divert our attention from our own personal problems and help us to be grateful about our lives, forget and letting go of our unhappiness, and be more cheerful and happy.
Life is very precious. Appreciate our lives and this body for us to be here to experience so many things and be selfless. Let go the sadness and be happy. Change a different lifestyle, or working environment, or living environment, or diet, or new clothes, or make some cheerful friends, or go travelling, or do some karma yoga selfless service. Do something that will make us feel good, meaningful and happy. At the end we will laugh at ourselves why did we had wasted so much time and energy in being sad and unhappy. We will find out that it is not the things or happenings out there that make us sad and depressed. It is not about the things that we do or not do, things that we have or don’t have. It is us, had attached to all the things out there, and feel bad and negative about ourselves and everything else.
It is nothing wrong about feeling sad and down when things are not right in our life, just that it really doesn’t worth to continue to feel sad and down all the time when time had already passed and everything had changed but we still hold on to the things that had happened long time ago. Let it go, even if it happened just a minute ago. Feel the fresh energy, open up our hearts, welcoming a new chapter in life from moment to moment.
Know that any feelings whether they are good or bad feelings, they all are very temporary and will soon disappear. They arise and pass away without asking our permission. They come and go as they like. They don’t belong to us. They are not us. We don’t have to hold on to any of these feelings. We don’t need to identify ourselves with all these feelings in us. Let them go. Be compassionate towards ourselves. Love ourselves. Be kind to “this” being. Then only we can expand this compassion and love towards other beings.
